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Nicholas Liew: Experiencing the Power of Prayer

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Nic: “What? Me Worry?”

Imagine being told that you have a crooked spine and that surgery needs to be done to straighten it by placing screws in your vertebrae (backbone) and metal rods to hold them straight (these things remain in your body for the rest of your life).

Or, for a parent, worst still, imagine being told that your young son has to go through that! Well, that’s exactly what happened to us in August last year when we discovered Nic had a 50 degree curve in the thorax region of his spine.

And, at 5.45 pm on the 14th of May this year, Nic was wheeled into the operating theaters in University Hospital, after almost 9 months of trying physiotherapy, spinal correction exercises, chiropractic, genetic tests, X-rays, MRI’s and a whole load of other things – but to no avail – surgery was imminent (his spine had continued to deteriorate to 70 degrees during that time).

Four hours later, at 9.45 pm, he was wheeled out to the recovery room and slowly awoken from his induced slumber. The doctors tested his reflexes and proclaimed that he was OK and there was no damage to his spinal cord.

The surgeon was, however, a little disappointed and broke the news to us that Nic’s spine was stiffer than expected and they couldn’t correct his curve as much as they would have liked – he would probably still have a 50 degree curve.

The next day, the surgeon came by and got Nic out of bed and examined him before sending him to the radiographer for an X-ray – imagine, only 16 hours from the surgery and he could, with some difficulty, walk around.

More amazing still, the X-ray showed that the correction was better than the surgeon had expected – he had corrected his curve to 30 degrees! Better still, he has also gained 4cm in height.

By Thursday, less than 3 days after surgery, Nic was back home and able to shower, walk about, get on the computer, etc – he is discovering new areas of his body which can experience pain but it’s all bearable. Next Monday, he goes to see the surgeon to have his bandages removed and discuss plans for the future.

The one thing that stood out from all of this?

GOD’s peace which guarded our hearts – it was almost as if someone took away all worries and anxieties.

Why?

So many of you prayed with us every step of the way – before the surgery, during the surgery, after the surgery.

Bible Verse of the Day

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” — Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

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